POTSDAM, N.Y. -– Friday night's matchup between Colgate and Clarkson was a thriller, but third period goals by
Madeline Palumbo and
Emma Pais weren't enough to secure victory on the road for the Raiders, who fell 4-3 in overtime as their hopes for an ECAC first-round bye slipped away.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In a game the Raiders needed to win to keep their ECAC top-four hopes alive, neither team was able to establish an advantage in the opening minutes of the game. Though shots came in from both sides, Colgate's Brooke Davis and Clarkson's Arianne Leblanc remained strong in net.
Just over a minute from what would've been a scoreless period, Clarkson got on the board. At 18:51, Morgan Walton, assisted by Manon Lescodan and Sara Manness, scored to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead.
That lead wouldn't last for long. Fittingly on Colgate Day, Chloe Goofers scored off of assists from Madeline Palumbo and Avery Pickering just 13 seconds later to tie the game at one. After a slow start, the game would head to the first intermission at 1-1.
As the second period got underway, Clarkson continued to exert pressure, but strong goaltending from Davis kept the game level. However, at 5:49, the dam broke, as Sena Catterall scored from assists by Keira Hurry and Rhea Hicks, giving Clarkson a 2-1 lead.
The rest of the period saw several big chances for Colgate, but they were unable to tie the game once again, and went into the break trailing by a goal in a must-win game.
Needing a goal, the Raiders began the third period with a flurry of shots, but couldn't find the back of the net as the period passed the five-minute mark. The leveler finally came when Madeline Palumbo scored at 7:05 to even the game at 2-2.
The turning point came at 14:33, when Emma Pais scored a shocking short-handed goal for the Raiders, assisted by Elyssa Biederman, to give the Raiders a crucial 3-2 lead in their fight for a top-four spot.
Colgate would have to defend another power-play soon after, but the Raider defense stepped up and maintained the lead. However, with just 49 seconds remaining, Sena Catterall, assisted by Megan McKay scored to tie the game at 3-3 and send the game to overtime.
In overtime, both teams had chances to earn two points, but at 2:08, Kate Manness scored the winner off an assist from her sister Sara to secure a 4-3 win for Clarkson.
GAME NOTES
- Avery Pickering's first period assist was her tenth of the year and saw her reach the 13 point mark this season.
- With a goal and assist, Madeline Palumbo has logged two points in back-to-back games.
- Emma Pais's goal was her 98th career point, pushing her closer to the century-mark.
- Elyssa Biederman's third period assist was her 20th of the season, tying her with Alexia Aubin for the team lead. She also extended her team points lead to 10.
- Brooke Davis made 22 saves in between the poles for Colgate.
UP NEXT
The Raiders (17-14-1, 12-8-1 ECAC) close out their regular season with a road matchup at St. Lawrence tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Canton, N.Y. The game will air on ESPN+.
